对话口译中的权力——口译社会学解读

Power in Face-to-face Interpreting Events——A Sociological Perspective of Interpreting

传统观念认为,职业译员应该是透明、隐身、被动、中立和超然的,这种理想化的译员角色建构却屡屡在现实对话口译事件中遭遇解构。对话口译可视为由当事双方和译员共同构成、发生在一定社会语境下的三向互动式交际事件,从福柯的权力观以及温格和布隆马尔特等人的相关理论出发,译员作为交际活动的共同建构者,是一个权力角色。尽管译员不具备体制性权力,但由于他掌握着双语双文化资源,却拥有交际过程中的权力,这可以从译员选择成为共同谈话人、赋权角色、采取非中立立场的社会行为表现出来。从真实口译场景中引证,聚焦译员的言语和非言语行为,特别是定位和注视等行为,分析译员的权力运作。

The traditional view holds that professional interpreters should be transparent,invisible,passive,neutral and detached,a view reiterated and reinforced in the interpreters＇ codes of conduct prescribed by many national and international professional organizations.Such an idealized role construct,however,is from time to time deconstructed in real-life face-to-face interpreting events.In this paper,face-to-face interpreting is seen as a three-way communicative event in which the interpreter is a co-constructor of the interaction and can therefore be a powerful figure.From the perspective of interpreting as a socially situated activity,the paper adopts Foucault＇s concept of power,complemented by the related theories of Wenger and Blommaert,believing that interpreters,though often lacking institutional power,may be equipped with interactional power as a result of their bilingual and bicultural expertise.They may exercise this power by adopting various verbal and non-verbal strategies to negotiate,check and balance power relations.This can be specifically manifested in interpreters＇ social action as co-interlocutors,empowerment figures,or in the adoption of a non-neutral stance.Examples are cited from authentic interpreting events to analyze interpreters＇ power at work,focusing on their verbal and non-verbal behaviors,in particular,their positioning and gaze.